Anyone Got An Idea On An Onion Cake?!?!?!!!??!

Ok, I've been asked to make a cake for an onion grower. Onions... any ideas?? I was thinking of doing like a FBCT of whole onions, maybe one cut in half. But does anyone have ideas on how to make like 3D onions?? Not full size, but just 3D... I was thinking of just using like an 8 tip or 10 tip and making fat stripes next to each other then smoothing them together or something. But that would be a lot of icing.... should I stick with a FBCT?

PS, they do not want a garden scene, with rows or anything, but just the onions.

cover in BC or Fondant tinted brown onion skin color (tho' for fondant, I'd do white and then paint w/ very dilute brown to easily get the stripes and the effect of brown skin over white inside) (of course could also do the purple onions too!)

You know, I was actually thinking last night about mounding up lots of icing for an onion and kept thinking no, too much icing. I HAVE both ball pans, and even have the bigger one on my counter for a different cake for this weekend and it didn't even click!! Oh gosh, I am so sleep deprived!!!!!!!!!

I really like your ideas. It's only a 8" cake, she wanted a 6" and I told her I'd do the 8" for the same price because I hate having small cakes, there's less to work with. I'll have to see how many 'onions' I can fit on there...

I made the mini balls, they're so big in relation to the cake, and I hate to only put 2 because of obvious reasons! I'm thinking maybe 3 going from top tright to bottom left, with the green leaves still on. Maybe one cut one..... still not sure yet, p.s. this will be buttercream.

You all are so creative, I would have been absolutely stumped. I like the way you are going with this eieio - I think the 2 whole and one half onion or one that is bit into, my dad used to take them out of the garden and bite into them - YUCK!